Lady R. Yes, certainly it was the first picture at which I looked.

Col. F. What! before Landseer's ? Lady R. Yes-what is a fat monk of the olden time, or the plunder at his feet, to me, compared with the countenance of one who has enlightened the human race on the most important of truths?

Col. F. Yes, certainly, you are right-you thought the countenance pretty? amiable-looking-eh? Lady R. No, but superior to either, very intellectual.

Col. F. What! "ugly and intellectual?" as some one said in describing Brougham's indescribable face.

Lady R. I did not say "ugly."

Mr. Jones. No, I remarked that your ladyship said "intellectual ;” with deference to Colonel Fashion, I should say that I do not recollect the epithet 'ugly."

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Col. F. Well! well! Pray, Lady Rightem, do you recollect the pretty thing the Times newspaper said of Miss Martineau ?

Lady R. No-but I should like to hear what the influential press said of such a person.

Col. F. They described her as"Herself the great preventive check she draws."

Lady R. Psha! men endeavour to make that ridiculous, which they would fain excel, but cannot.

Lord E. Pray, Lady Rightem, is it true what they say, that the best bits of Lord Brougham's speech about the Poor Laws, were borrowed from Miss Martineau?

Lady R. I cannot say that I observed any passages literally borrowed, did you Mr. Jones?

Mr. Jones. No-as your ladyship observes, and with deference to the observation of Lord Easy, I should say not literally.

Lady R. Of course, when great authorities speak upon the same science, they are likely to fall into statements somewhat similar.

Lord E. Some of the maxims laid down by Lord Brougham appear to me rather startling-indeed I might use a stronger expression, did I not go in fear of being classed with the "grovellingly ignorant," who alone, as his lordship says, falter in their allegiance to political economy.

Lady R. What are the points to which you allude?

Lord E. He said that all statutes for the relief of the poor, were mischievous; that the law empowering overseers to set poor people to work, and if they could not find work, to find food for them, was as pernicious a law as ever was made.

Lady R. Quite right-perfectly scientific.

Lord E. He said that the only safe kind of charity was an hospital for accidents-he doubted that dispensaries for the sick poor were not an abuse, and against sound principle—the charitable support of the infirm and poor, he said, he was quite certain was against all sound principle.

Lady R. Perfectly right-quite scientific.

Lord E. Does not all this seem rather hard-hearted.

Lady R. Reason is the highest faculty of mind-the demonstrations of reason are to be preferred to the suggestions of feeling. Hard-heartedness is but another name for superiority to these suggestions.

Lord E. Some would say insensibility to them.

Lady R. Sensibility and insensibility are unphilosophical terms.

Lord E. But I have not doneLord Brougham said, the greatest wretchedness of the poor was the being tormented with the ills of riches, the satiety of pampered idleness.

Lady R. That view of the subject was acute, original, and philosophic.Its truth, though unperceived before, was no sooner taken up by the mind, than it matured into conviction.

Lord E. Upon my honour I don't think so. For my part, I don't like work myself, and I have pitied the poor devils-paupers I mean-that I have seen breaking stones, and, in London, sweeping the streets.

Lady R. False humanity, my lord. These people should have provided something in their prosperity, to keep them out of a state of pauperism.

Lord E. But perhaps they never knew prosperity-perhaps they never in their lives knew what it was to have enough to eat for three days together.

Lady R. Then they must have been all along, redundant labourers, and to

support them is but to continue and aggravate the evil. But you have not mentioned what Lord Brougham said about the bastardy part of the Poor Law Bill, which was perhaps the most scientific portion in the whole of his splendid speech.

Col. F. I think if your ladyship is about to discuss that part of the sub

ject, I must say good bye, I have to be at Tattersall's at four o'clock.

Lord E. Why, so have I-is it really so late? Good morning, Lady Rightem.

(They go out-Lady Rightem and Mr. Jones take up books and papers, and retire to an inner room.)

THE history of the wilds of North America, and of the nations which inhabit them, might have long remained unknown to Europeans, but for the enterprises of the fur traders, which have carried a succession of daring adventurers into the remotest recesses of the wilderness. Ever since the French and English established their colonies on the continent of North America, the traffic in peltries has been pursued with unremitting anxiety. As the population of the colonies increased, and the forests gave way before the corn-fields, the wild animals, like the unfortunate Indians, were driven back upon the desert, and the chief supplies of furs are now obtained from the sterile regions, reaching from the north of Canada to the Polar sea, or from the wild and hitherto uncivilised countries situated between the Rocky Mountains and the shores of the Pacific. The northeru, and by far the most valuable of the fur countries, is entirely under the control of the united Hudson's Bay and Northwest Companies, who have now abandoned their fierce rivalries, and conduct a peaceful commerce, equally advantageous to themselves and their Indian customers.

Beavers are also to be found in considerable abundance in the uncolonized parts of the United States, but they are inferior in numbers as well as quality to those obtained in the more northern countries. It is a curious fact that not many years have elapsed since the fur trade within the territories of the United States was entirely in the hands of British adventurers. During the administration of Jefferson, this circumstance reasonably enough excited the jealousy of the American

government, not so much on account of the value of the trade as from the preponderance which it gave to Euglish influence among the Indians. The attempts, however, of the American traders, even when supported by all the influence of their government, were unable to compete with the skill and experience of the interlopers, until the wealth and exertions of a single individual at last wrested the trade from the English, and transferred it to the citizens of the United States. The individual we allude to is Mr. Astor, a German by birth, but a citizen of America, who had amassed a princely fortune by his talents and industry; but Mr. Astor was not satisfied with the success which had crowned his efforts, for he resolved to follow them up by one of the boldest schemes which a single merchant ever attempted to execute. He resolved to plant a trading establishment at the entrance of the Columbia river, which would command the entire fur trade of the west of the Rocky Mountains, while coasting vessels were to collect the sea-otter furs along the shores of the Pacific. A chain of forts or rather of trading stations was to be established between the sources of the Missouri and the Columbia, thus connecting the commerce of the east and west sides of the Rocky Mountains, and keeping open a land communication between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The produce of the fur trade was to be deposited at an emporium at the mouth of the Columbia, and from thence transported to Canton, the great market for furs. The vessels were then to return to New York with a cargo of teas, having thus made a voyage of three years' duration, and

circumnavigated the world. Nor did his project stop here, for he also contracted to supply the Russian factory at Sitka with trading goods, and he even aspired at getting possession of one of the Sandwich Islands as a convenient station for his vessels, being half way between Canton and the Columbia. Such was the gigantic project of a single merchant, but a man of vast wealth and energy, and intimately acquainted with the details of the fur trade; and although the enterprise proved unfortunate, we cannot but admire the magnificence of the scheme, and the skill and prudence, which, had they been adequately supported, might have carried it on to success.

These observations will explain the object of the work before us, as also the name it bears; we will therefore proceed to give some account of the various expeditions which the projects of Mr. Astor set in motion. A ship was fitted up to carry out the settlers and all the apparatus necessary for the establishment of a new colony, while another detachment was to ascend to the head waters of the Missouri, traverse the Rocky Mountains, and descending the Columbia, were to join their companions on the shores of the Pacific.

We shall first direct our attention to the sea voyage, and to the melancholy catastrophe by which it was terminated. The ship, Tonquin, was well provided with every thing necessary to ensure success, and carried out an efficient complement of fur traders and Canadian voyageurs. All the prudence of these arrangements was rendered abortive by the unfortunate selection of a commander, whose absurd conduct frustrated every provision suggested by prudent forethought, and added one to the many examples where persevering folly has effected more irreparable mischief than intentional malice could have accomplished. This worthy navigator, who is a favourite with Mr. Irving, was obviously a man of a single idea; his notions of duty do not appear to have extended beyond maintaining the necessary discipline, and making the shortest possible voyage between two points. Accordingly we find that during the voyage the ship exhibited a little world of jealousy and insubordination. The thoughtless gaiety of one passenger, the imperturbable good nature of another, and the caustic humour of a third, were alike the sources of misery to this lord

of the quarter deck. We need not enter into the details of these petty squabbles, as every one who has made a voyage of moderate length can sufficiently appreciate them. After a prosperous voyage, the captain found himself in the vicinity of the Columbia river, and from this period his incompetency became more apparent. The entrance to the Columbia river is dangerous, except in fine weather, and for vessels of moderate size, on account of a broad and shallow sand-bank which reaches across its mouth. The Tonquin arrived here in stormy weather, but instead of waiting till the gales abated, the captain attempted to enter the river, at whose entrance the breakers were rising in fearful surges. But the force of folly could proceed still farther. In such weather, and on such a coast, where the ship was in imminent peril, it was absurd to expect that a boat could live; the captain, however, thought otherwise, and ordered one of his officers to proceed in the boat to ascertain the soundings on the bar; and to render success impossible, the boat was manned, not with expert seamen, but with Canadian voyageurs. It was in vain that the fated officer attempted to decline this act of immolation he affectingly observed that a near relation of his own had lost his life in the same service a few years before, and he added, I am now going to lay my bones alongside of his. The boat and her hapless crew were never heard of. Next day the attempt to enter the river was resumed, and another boat was despatched to explore the bar-a duty which would have been performed to more advantage at the mast-head. This expedition was rather less unfortunate than its predecessor, for two of the crew survived, and the ship at last entered the river without the aid of soundings. It has been stated on good authority that the incapacity of the captain so alarmed all on board, that one of the officers actually took the management of the ship into his own hands, and by watching the breakers from the mast-head, was enabled to bring the ship to anchor without damage.

The traders and their associates now landed, and after establishing an amicable understanding with the Indians, commenced the construction of a fort for the protection of their commerce. The ship departed on a trading voyage along the coast, when the same folly which had already produced such mis

fortunes, terminated in the loss of the ship, and the destruction of her crew. On arriving at the Straits of Juan de Fuca, the natives came on board to barter their furs for knives, beads, &c. when the captain contrived to insult the chiefs, and to put a stop to the trade. The wily and vindictive savages were not to be without their revenge. No entreaty could persuade the captain to quit this dangerous vicinity, nor to take the necessary precautions against a surprise. Crowds of unarmed Indians now approached the vessel, bringing plenty of furs, which they readily disposed of for knives or daggers, which were secretly distributed till most of the savages were armed. The captain became alarmed, and when it was too late gave orders to unreef the sails and weigh anchor. While preparations for departure were in progress, an indiscriminate massacre commenced, and only four of the sailors escaped. These brave men barricaded themselves in the cabin, and by opening a brisk fire through openings which they had made in the companion-way, they readily drove the Indians from the ship, and then issuing from their fortress, by means of the great guns, they inflicted a fearful retaliation upon the canoes of the savages. The sailors afterwards attempted to make their way to the Columbia in the ship's boat, but were driven ashore by adverse weather, and were murdered by the natives. One individual still survived, who had refused to quit the ship, and although severely wounded, had resolved upon a dreadful act of revenge. He appeared upon the deck, and invited the Indians to come on board, and speedily disappeared. The vessel was soon crowded with plundering and exulting savages, when the ship blew up with a tremendous explosion.

"Arms, legs, and mutilated bodies were blown into the air, and a dreadful havoc was made in the surrounding canoes. Upwards of a hundred savages were destroyed by the explosion, and many more shockingly mutilated; and many days the limbs and bodies of the slain were thrown upon the beach."

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Before proceeding further with the history of Mr. Astor's project, we shall give some account of this part of the American coast. The north-west coast of America remained longer un known to Europeans than any other part of the New World. Its remote

situation, uninviting climate, small commercial importance, and the jealousy of the Spaniards, all contributed to continue our ignorance. Although several Spanish navigators had explored the western coasts of North America, and Biscaino had discovered Nootka, yet it was not till Captain Cook had made the country known that it became a field for commercial enterprise. It was then ascertained that the north-west coast abounded in sea otters, the most valuable of the American furs in the China market. Captain Meares, an enterprising Englishman, now attempted to establish a regular trade between Nootka and Canton; he gained the good will of the Indians, and constructed a small factory among them, where he built a small coasting vessel, and carried on a prosperous and friendly intercourse with the natives. The suspicious government of Spain became alarmed at the idea of permitting the English to establish themselves in the vicinity of its Mexican dependencies; and the viceroy of Mexico fitted out an expedition which dispossessed Captain Meares's people and left a Spanish settlement in their place. The English government did not brook this insult, and demands for reparation were made to the court of Madrid. The interminable negociations to which this demand promised to give rise, were quickly brought to a close by the energetic demonstrations of Mr. Pitt, who began to prepare for obtaining redress by commencing hostilities. The Spanish government now abandoned its claims upon Nootka, and Captain Vancouver was despatched to take possession of the disputed territory, and to survey the complicated coasts of North-west America. How well Vancouver executed his difficult task may be seen by inspecting the admirable charts which accompany his voyage. When we reflect on the immense extent of from California to Berrhing's Straits, a country which he surveyed, extending coast abounding in inlets, and studded with numerous islands; and that only three summers were occupied with the task, we cannot but admire the zeal and energy which accomplished so much. At the same time, it is but justice to state, that a portion of the coast was surveyed by the Spaniards, and that the navigators of both countries carried on their operations in the most friendly concert, and interchanged their discoveries in the most unre

served manner. If the hydrographical labours of the Spanish officers were less extensive than those of Vancouver, they have made us much better acquainted with the people of Nootka, whose history and language may yet throw some light on the difficult question of the migration of the Aztec tribes towards Mexico. Much curious information respecting Nootka is to be found in the work of Senor Moçino the naturalist to the Spanish expedition.

To return to the history of the fur trade. No sooner had England vindicated the freedom of the commerce of North-west America, than a crowd of adventurers entered upon the trade; and at one time, the obscure harbour of Nootka contained no fewer than twenty vessels under different flags. The trade in sea otters did not prove an El Dorado. The number of competitors raised the price of peltries; and while the Indians hunted with increased spirit, the game diminished, and the increased supply of furs lowered their value in the Chinese market. The North-west fur trade proved a losing one, especially to the English, who could not purchase teas for their homeward cargo; and they soon abandoned all relations with the Indians of Nootka; and thus a petty territory in a remote corner of the world, which had nearly occasioned a bloody war between two great nations, was quickly forgotten by all. Since that time the coasting fur trade has been chiefly in the hands of the Americans, and was carried on, we believe, in the following manner :-' -The trading vessel remained on the American coast till a supply of furs was obtained. These were carried to the Sandwich isles, where another ship was waiting to receive them and take them to Canton. The ship which had brought the furs took in a supply of goods and returned to the American coast, while the other vessel proceeded to Canton; and having exchanged the peltries for Chinese produce returned to Boston or New York. Lately the Hudson's Bay Company have established factories on various parts of the coast, and by combining in this manner the inland and coasting trade, will be able to oppose all competitors, while they have now no difficulties with respect to the China trade.

The Indian population of the north west coast differs in many respects from their brethren to the east of the Rocky

Mountains, and even the tribes on different parts of the coast vary considerably in language, features, and man. ners. The Indians of California are, according to La Perouse, almost as dark coloured as negroes; but the natives of Queen Charlotte Island are nearly as light coloured as Europeans, while the intermediate Nootkan and Columbian tribes possesses characters which distinguish them from either. The Indians of the Columbia river— those of De Fucas Straits and Nootka

appear to belong to one race connected by affinities of language, physical resemblances, and similarity of customs. They are all ichthyophagous, subsisting almost entirely on fish, while the chase forms but a secondary means of support. They are a sleek and pampered race of small stature, of an olive complexion, and by no means handsome. The circumstance which distinguishes them from all the other north-west tribes, is the barbarous custom of flattening the heads of their children. Immediately after birth the infant is placed in a cradle so constructed that a constant but moderate pressure is applied to its head; and this process is continued for upwards of a year till the natural form of the head is irretrievably lost. By this means the natural measurements are inverted, and the long diameter is not from behind to before, but laterally from ear to ear. This custom of flattening the head appears to have been widely diffused throughout America, and was practised by many tribes in widely remote situations, as by the natives of Carolina, by the Caribs of St. Vincent, and by the natives of Peru, where the practice was prohibited by the Synod of Lima, shortly after the conquest of that country. It is also deserving of notice, that the ancient Mexicans, although they did not flatten their own heads, represented their deities with compressed foreheads. Perhaps it is on account of this strange custom which at all events must change, to some extent, the relative position of the different parts of the brain, that apoplexy is very frequent among the Indians of the Columbia river.

The Columbian tribes are also remarkable for the prevalence of slavery among them; but the lot of the Indian slave is much happier than that of the negro of a sugar colony. It is a melancholy fact that the evils of slavery increase in proportion to the intellec